


Willkommen, Bienvenue, Welcome

by TheCopperhead



Series: Ꮶᴜʀᴛ Ꮤᴀɢɴᴇʀ [2]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, X-Men (Movieverse)
Genre: Circus Show, Gen, Inspired by the Cabaret (Musical)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-25
Updated: 2017-07-25
Packaged: 2018-12-02 06:31:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,140
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11503707
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheCopperhead/pseuds/TheCopperhead
Summary: Ever wondered what some of The Incredible Nightcrawler's shows were like?





	Willkommen, Bienvenue, Welcome

The lights went out, all at once, wrapping every present person inside the circus tent into suspenseful darkness and silence. An atmosphere of excitement was created with this dramaturgical action, rather than fear or discomfort. Occasionally, a murmur still went through the audience's large semicircle and quiet statements about the first impression and questions about when it was going to start were audible. That was until a beaming spotlight brought light into the gloom, the bright ray being thrown on a crouched figure on the high wire above the circus ring.

No more than some odd fingers and toes in a white, velvet material were visible, one hand slowly raising and invitingly curving a finger as a quiet and old-fashioned tune sounded from the clandestine musicians beneath. The limelight trailed the moving finger, exposing more and more of the pale man that had squatted down on the tightrope. A mischievous smirk grazed his darkened lips, a charcoal coat wrapped tightly around his slender shape and hiding the red-black suit underneath it.

"Willkommen, bienvenue, welcome," sang the pale acrobat in a mystifyingly murmur, his arch smile broadening.

"Fremder, étranger, stranger. Glücklich zu sehen, je suis enchanté, happy to see _you_! Bleibe, reste, _stay_!"

During the course of his chanting, Nightcrawler ascended gracefully without the use of his arms, legs straightening themselves steadily as toes and an suddenly emerging tail provided the required balance for a feat like this in such heights. His hands were brought to his chest in the meantime, six fingers vaguely shaping a heart in front of it to amplify the sense of the lyrics. His suave voice grew louder during the last sentence, pronouncing the very last word like a command, before turning soft again afterwards.

"Willkommen, bienvenue, welcome. Im Cabaret, au Cabaret, to Cabaret!"

Unbelievable, eh? What some thick and yet rather simple-looking layers of make-up could do about even the most peculiar person's appearance, as well as their entire behavior and manner. Kurt Wagner, only known to the spectators as the demonic Nightcrawler, turned into an absolutely normal artiste for a moment with the assistance of his friends and family, who painted over each spot of blue skin that was not covered by his unitard. All of a sudden, he wasn't the flying fiend anymore, but a gifted and versatile performer who merely needed to put yellow contact lenses in and cover his visage in the color blue for his main act.

Fangs, ears, fingers, toes and the tail, who's base was still hidden underneath a coat on the purpose of a first impression; trickery, were already telling the audience who he was, however, marking him instantly as the agile devil and the central attraction of this circus, the actual reason for most people's presence. His disguise was intending the exact opposite, though, leading the audience into believing that a human just like them was preparing himself for a role, instead of already playing one for them. No one wanted, and no one should know the truth. It just wouldn't end well.

   "Meine Damen und Herren, Mesdames et Messieurs, Ladies. . .   _and_ Gentlemen."

Wagner's spine straightened elegantly as it was time to switch from singing to speaking, doing his best to keep his accent from showing itself too obviously during this opening speech, which had been taken from one very entertaining show and just slightly altered to fit their circumstances. It was a great privilege, after all, to be the first one to address the audience, especially when it came to late evening performances like this one. Those had been specifically dimensioned for the adults, including much more extreme stunts than the shows during the day and some more provocative jokes and behaviour patterns which only the grown-ups were able to comprehend and laugh about. And straddling the thin line between drama and comedy like the high wire beneath him had always been one of Kurt's specialities. 

This whole evening also provided a partly multilingual moderation for the rising amount of foreign tourists who wished to end their evening with some extravagant entertainment, turning Kurt's years of studying various languages into account and making him the clear choice for this introduction. The owner of this travelling menagerie, Herr Getmann, would take over afterwards with a more or less non-scripted moderation.

   "Guten Abend, bonsoir, good evening! Wie geht's? Comment ça va? Do you feel good?"

The mutants eyes, their priorly yellow color now altered into a unobtrusive brown-green via contact lenses, were focusing on a definitely exited male in the rows below, his grin standing out even in the darkness and from such distance. Kurt raised both brows at him in a suggestive manner, pointing a finger and winking before continuing with the monologue.

   "Ja, I bet you do! Nun, ich bin euer Conférencier; je suis votre compère— I am your host! Ich sage willkommen, bienvenue, welcome! Im Cabaret, au Cabaret, to Cabaret!"

As he sung the last two phrases, countenance and decent gesticulation proved the delight Kurt took in doing what he was doing and already left the vivified spectators agog with anticipation.

   " _Leave_ —," growled Nightcrawler all of a sudden, expression hardening and sharp teeth being exposed in a threatening manner. His voice reached a totally new register for this second, low and rough, shortly opposing his prior behaviour for this little twist and solving it with a once more impish smile, "— your troubles outside."

Muscles slackened straightaway, arms dangling by his sides as Kurt's eyes roamed perkily around the entire tent, legs moving and letting him dance decently and yet somewhat tantalisingly to the music on the dangerously vibrating wire.

   "So, life is disappointing, hmm? Forget it! We have no troubles here! _Here_. . . life is beautiful. The performers are beautiful. The audience is beautiful, too. Even the orchestra is beautiful!"

The acrobat strode along the tightrope with appalling ease, playing around with his voice like a child. He'd already demonstrated its lowness and austerity, now revealing how high he could actually go with each time he pronounced the word 'beautiful'. With a convincing grin and nod, Wagner then turned his back towards the crowd and brought his slowly hands to his waist, opening his coat and letting it fall down his shoulders as the music grew louder, taking over for a short while. The spotlight followed the falling coat, of course, directing everyone's focus on it as it landed on the sandy ground of the ring to a now cheerful, classic tune, all other lights being turned on in that exact moment as well and lightening up the entire tent with various colours.

It gave Kurt just enough time to descend from the high wire through a quick teleportation, darkness covering him entirely in that moment. Within a second, he was back on the ground and behind large curtains with the other participants in this show. Everyone was ready, women were wearing their often extravagant, short dresses and men their skin-thight clothes and suits. All in all, everyone was dressed quite revealingly and that wasn't just part of solely this certain show.

Giving them all a curt nod, able to read the disposition in their eyes, Kurt turned again and moved through the heavy fabric of the curtains, taking one deep breath before entering the empty circus ring and joining his lonely coat. His arrival was emphasized through the music becoming quieter momentarily, letting him talk to the people once more. His grin was ever so present, fangs now much more visible to the people as he was now on their level. The charming and chivalric young man turned himself into a ensnaring devil on such evenings, something that was approved of by the audience, always ensuring him tons of cheers.

   "You see? I told you the orchestra is beautiful!"

Finally, the musicians got some applause as well. They deserved it, always playing the second fiddle behind all the astounding performers, which were now already calling the tune again. His female co-workers entered the stage as Kurt went to pick up his coat from the middle, circling the originally blue teleporter for a moment before positioning around him. They swayed their hips in a staccato fashion with their arms akimbo, presenting their athletic figure to the average folks. Kurt introduced them with pleasure, swinging one arm in order to point at each lady.

   "And now presenting the girls! Rosa! So called because of her cheeks. Vanni! Oh, you like Vanni? Well, too bad. So does Rosa. Lynn! Ha, she's a tiger! Sissi! Oh, Sissi, please, will you stop that!"

The last one, a quite skilled danseuse and childhood friend, interrupted his oration with a quite saucy move, which Kurt mirrored right after approaching her with a few quick steps and a dispraising tone in his voice.

   "How many times? Already this week we have lost two spectators, a chair and three bottles of champagne up there— it's getting to be a problem."

The mutant stopped beside her as she straightened herself, both of his feet at least one meter apart from each other as he went to lower himself downwards, not stopping even as his thighs already formed a horizontal line. The audience got only a short moment to sheer as the two of them exchanged an challenging gaze with each other, the pale devil quickly returning to his prior posture and merely tossing his coat towards the girl. She caught it, of course, making use of it during her own perf.

A insight into the skills of the woman was given right away, even though Kurt remained with them for the sheer purpose of being present, now luckily supported by some very professional singes and dancers. He had been taught by the best, but moving alongside them in such elegant ways was always much more marvelous than doing it all alone. He was anything but uncomfortable, but occasionally presenting his rear like this and the included touching of specific body areas were nonetheless challenges in front of such a crows, despite the years of show business behind him. However, with such enchanting and lovely company around him, looking more appealing than the demonic mutant ever would, even with the make-up that disguised his true appearance slightly, the issue was easily turned into another cakewalk.

"Wir sagen willkommen, bienvenue, welcome. Im Cabaret, au Cabaret, to Cabaret!"

   "We are here to serve you!"

Fangs were flashing in the bright spotlight upon him as Kurt loudly uttered the last statement with a broad grin, only his voice being heard again. It was a sentence, which wasn't just a line to him, but something that defined all circus members' lives, from sunrise to sunset on each day and during every year. Their lives were built around their spectators, were about doing everything in their might to let them leave with a sparkle in their eyes, still breathless because of what they saw.

One would guess that it must get boring and tiring over the years, never reaching the wealth everyone dreamt of despite the hard work, but Kurt was doing this since his entire life and he hadn't lost his enthusiasm and his engagement. His whole demeanor, including voice and smile, were still showing that he was clearly enjoying this and all other acts, putting all of his skills into what he was doing. Maybe, and he didn't even dared to think about it too often, because he remembered that things could change quickly and that he'd always prefer to be even a minor part in a small side act over a restrictive cage in a freak show and suffer under the hands of his handler without the slightest hint of compassion from anyone but his caring foster mother.

   "And now presenting the boys: Here they are! Julian! Werner!"

Two muscular men entered the ring as well, striding towards the 'emcee' in their revealing costumes. Their profession wasn't hard to guess as restless weight lighting ended with easily recognizable and not unappealing, physical consequences. With one of the fellow artists at each side of him, the slender-built mutant was pointing at one after another while introducing them, getting a little confused in the process and attempting to correct himself without any success.

   "Or is it Werner. . . and Julian. You know, there's really only one what to tell the difference."

The disguised optics gazed provocatively into the waiting crowd, hips still swaying in rhythm with the lightsome sounds of various string instruments. He watched with a spark of joy in his eyes as the tension grew and grew over merely a few seconds, a dismissive gesture with his hand and cheeky smirk finally indicating a innuendo which made the people laugh jovially again.

   "And I'll show you later. Hans! Oh, Hans, baby, go easy on the Sauerkraut. Stefan! Oh, oh, oh— you know what's funny about Stefan?"

Wagner was clapping his three-fingered hands now, performing some cheerful jumps before doubling over to cross both arms in front of his seemingly hurting stomach. Actually, this little line was one of the funniest and most enjoyable ones from Kurt's point of view, combining the show business with some truth about his sometimes too grouchy foster brother. With a somewhat disappointed expression, the performer straightened his posture after a second and rose his shoulders into a excusing shrug.

   "Okay, there's nothing funny about Stefan."

Another row of laughter went through the audience, grins being displayed on everyone's face except of a certain gypsy's one.

   "And, finally, our angel, Fräulein Jimaine Szardos!"

Kurt energetically swung an arm backwards, pointing it towards another person on the high wire, who had taken over his primary place and was now chirping a "Hello, darlings," with her mellifluous voice. The blonde in her sparkling, red suit received loud cheering, but none of it ignited a hint of jealously inside Kurt like the rapturous applause for other performers sometimes did. He wouldn't think of grudging his sister this success, knowing very well that it had taken her much more than him to reach this level of acrobatic skills. With a broad and sincere smile on his lips, the audience was once more addressed, this time in quite commanding tone that was nonetheless drowned out by the united singing voices.

"Bleibe, reste, stay!"

Turning on a heel, Kurt then strode into the opposite direction. His colleagues were moving past him to the front at the same time to demonstrate some of their own abilities in perfect accordance with the music, the two muscleman's from before stopping at his sides again before the supposed demon vanished in the darkness, slowing him down. Kurt's tail swung rather rigidly from one side to the other at the same time, stroking ever so faintly over the more private parts of his friends. He swished around wholly afterwards and pointed a finger at the male to his right with a broad grin on his painted white features.

   "That's Julian!"

With this final joke, he wandered off into the ill-lit area of the circus ring and behind the velvet curtains, listening to the singing voices of the other performers as they did their thing. And, as much as he tried, he couldn't get this grin off his face. Luckily, he didn't had to. He wasn't done yet, of course, having plenty to offer to the people. Kurt had merely made them laugh, applaud, hum and wiggle in their seats in their suppressed urge to dance, but had he shocked them a bit in preparation of what they were going to see in the course of this evening? He would, using the singing of the other performers, which had been suddenly reduced to a suspenseful whispering, as distraction.

"Willkommen, bienvenue, welcome. Fremder, étranger, stranger."

It didn't took long until Kurt stood in a narrow and dark aisle between the rows of people, bending over to loudly speak at a standoffish gentlemen.

   "Hello, stranger!"

He retreated back into the darkness only a second later, giving the already laughing people just enough time to realize what happened, even though some were still startled by the quickness and stealth of the performer, who was already sneaking up to his next victim on the opposite side of the large stand.

"Glücklich zu sehen, je suis enchanté."

   "Enchantée, Madame," he purred, coaxing a flustered chuckle from the surprised lady after giving her a start and being gone again before she managed to turn around.

There was no time for more, though, the stage calling out for him. With large steps, almost jumps, Nightcrawler descended from the full rows of the audience towards the circus ring again where everyone was still singing and dancing, showing of their own specialties in a seemingly jumbled, but actually well-coordinated way. A simple somersault sent him over the railing, and some more bouncy steps carried an enthusiastic Kurt in front of the group where he vividly joined in on the singing, music and voices getting louder again.

"Happy to see you! Bleibe, reste, stay."

With absolutely all star-performers united in their activity area, the refrain was sung another last time and the music was letting the air vibrate. While the muscular guys were using this last chance to show off, positioned to grant every spectator a good view, the young women were doing exactly the same. Those, who were actually singers, were busy with delivering magnificent results in both acoustic and visual aspects, supported by the dancers and acrobats in the latter one.

Kurt and Jimaine got their extra part in the meantime, the duo already performing mirrored contortions right in the middle of the spectacle. While Nightcrawler was moving as if his body didn't contained half of the usually necessary bones, Jimaine made people gasp with the force behind each motion of her flexible limbs. Both stayed close over the whole time, their eyes often meeting and their hands occasionally stroking over the other's body when it came within reach; they were playing the wildly popular parts of the devil and the angel, always somehow opposing each other and yet fitting perfectly together.

"Wir sagen willkommen, bienvenue, welcome! Fremder, étranger, stranger. Glücklich zu sehen, je suis enchanté, happy to see _you_ — bleibe, reste, stay! Wir sagen willkommen, bienvenue, welcome— im Cabaret, au Cabaret, to Cabaret."

The time for the ultimate words had come, everyone gathering in the middle of their arena and getting into their final positions, circling the mutant and facing the observant people. Stefan and Julian were immediately beside Kurt, the two of them swiftly lifting the demonic man up onto their shoulders as if he didn't weighed more than a feather. Using the whole capacity of his vocal cords, Kurt then shouted loud enough to drown the already starting applause as soon as the music stopped.

   "Danke! Julian, Werner, Hans, Stefan, Rosa, Vanni, Lynn, Sissi, Jimaine and Me! Welcome to Circus Gehlhaar!"

 

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading!
> 
> This work is mostly based on the opening act of the revival of 'Cabaret' (which is an absolutely amazing musical) and was logically inspired by Alan Cumming's appearance as Emcee.
> 
> 'Willkommen' by Alan Cumming: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ysf3GW-PASA


End file.
